Champions Celtic have enjoyed direct qualification to the group or league phase of the Champions League for the last three seasons. Manager Brendan Rodgers has made clear what a difference it made to avoid the qualifiers, with more guaranteed money to spend and pre-season preparations less rushed. That guaranteed gravy train ends from next season,

Guangzhou’s rapid ascent began when property developers China Evergrande bought the club in 2010 when it was in the Chinese second tier. The new ownership group renamed the side Guangzhou Evergrande and invested heavily on and off the pitch, aligning with China president Xi Jinping’s ambition to turn the country into a football superpower that

It is a sight few could have foreseen a few months ago – but now it is likely to be one of the star attractions at the Australian Open. Novak Djokovic and new coach Andy Murray have practised together in Melbourne for the first time before the first Grand Slam of 2025 begins on Sunday.

Fenerbahce coach Jose Mourinho has criticised refereeing in Turkey and said there was a “toxic” environment in the Super Lig following Galatasaray‘s controversial 2-1 win over Goztepe at the weekend. Editor’s Picks 1 Related Goztepe felt so unfairly treated by refereeing decisions that the club issued a statement after Saturday’s match, requesting for a “temporary

The bosses at Villarreal want to make it very clear. There is not one “magic” reason behind the academy that produced Ballon d’Or winner Rodri. Villarreal are from a small industrial city of the same name in eastern Spain with a population of 50,000. Yet, despite a catchment area about the size of Yeovil, the

The January transfer window is open and almost every club on the planet is in need of something. The problem? No one can afford to make any deals, seemingly. Barcelona? So strapped for cash they’re embroiled in a legal battle to register their existing players. Manchester United? They’re operating on a shoestring budget, with manager

Giannis Antetokounmpo registered 11 points, 12 rebounds and a season-high 13 assists as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Toronto Raptors 128-104 in the NBA. Damian Lillard added 25 points in Toronto for the Bucks, who had lost four of their previous five games, all to teams with losing records. Antetokounmpo suffered a cut finger in

Arsenal are in talks with Myles Lewis-Skelly about a new contract following his breakout season so far. The 18-year-old made his Premier League debut in the 2-2 draw with Manchester City in September and has gone on to have a big impact for Mikel Arteta’s side. Lewis-Skelly made his first start in the Champions League

Clubs in the Saudi Pro League have invested heavily in attracting big names such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Neymar over recent years. In December, Fifa confirmed Saudi Arabia would host the 2034 men’s World Cup, a decision which Harris has criticised. Solihull-born Young joined Saints in September 2023 after leaving Aston Villa, and

The BBC Sport website will have live text commentary and updates from all 32 of the third-round matches. In addition to the extensive coverage on BBC local radio there will also be live commentaries of the following matches on BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra as well as via BBC Sounds. Thursday, 9

Wycombe Wanderers have signed Derby County centre-back Sonny Bradley on a loan deal until the end of the season. The 33-year-old joins the League One promotion chasers having gone up from the third tier with the Rams less than 12 months ago. Prior to joining Derby, Bradley won promotion from League One with Luton and

These are heady days for Nottingham Forest. The last time they won this many consecutive games in the top division they were champions of Europe. There is a growing conviction that this current run of results is going to take them back there, spurred further by a 3-0 win against Wolves on Monday Night Football

When Nottingham Forest face Liverpool at the City Ground next week it will be a top-of-the-table match that barely anyone could have predicted back in August. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are six points behind the leaders after Monday’s 3-0 win at Wolves and victory over the Reds – who they beat earlier in the season